A beautiful Annunciation and Lazarus Saturday

It is almost here!!
Holy Week!!!
The Best Week of the Year.

There was a chrismation at my
church today.
I took lots of pictures with my camera.
I am pleased with how many of them
turned out.
I can get a better focus by
manually focusing
and I am really pleased.
As a rule I don't post pictures of people on my
blogs so you'll have to trust me on this one.

Today was also Annunciation.
I did not eat fish,
but will tomorrow.
My church has a bigger church meal
with fish, wine and oil.
I am experimenting with a new
lenten chocolate cake.
I hope it turns out,
or the kids
(okay and adults :))
will be disappointed!
*
Tomorrow is the newly illumined's
first communion.
This is such a joy to behold.

Thursday is beginning

I helped my friends and their beautiful two children

decorate their Christmas tree!

*

My main 'job' though was to take the pictures.

*

I was able to read to the currently three year old boy

who is such a delight to read story books too;

I finally was able to read to him

Jane Meyer's

The Man and the Vine

which I had won back in November -

I had hoped to read it to this lovely 3 year old earlier

but am so happy that I finally was able to.

Of course, the book is now a new favourite!

(Other favourites include a vintage Golden Book called

Funny Bunny

which we do all the scampering, hopping and running actions to.)

I had the results of the biopsy

that I needed the week I suddenly had the

'volcanic eruption on my face' rash

and what the dermatologist thought I had is confirmed.

I am having some follow up tests to make sure

that there is not an underlying health problem

that this rash was indicating.

Some of the possible health problems are, well,

scary would be a good adjective.

Please pray for me as I wait for the results...

still have one more test to get done.

*

I am in the hands of God

and cannot be more cared for than I am right now.

I am seeking to remember and rest in this

as I wait.

Christmas trees are so beautiful!

My Mom told me that our tree is up and waiting for me,

My Dad helped do the tree!

*

If all works as planned I am going (Saturday) on a quick day trip to the

Greek monastery near by

for which I am so grateful.

*

And this weekend I hope to make two vegan chocolate cakes for our

St. Nicholas Day celebration this Sunday.

*

Still doing some job search activities,

emails flying back and forth,

phone calls;

trying to throw as much job-seeking 'balls' in the air

as I can right now.

*

Trusting in God's mercy,

asking your prayers

and Thanking God for all He is and has done for us!

Progression

I am working on my paper, read the poems for class (I love John Donne!), and found out today that I need to put together my research proposal sooner that I expected for my application for my English MA.

Whew.

I am enjoying this time though.

A holy hieromonk visited us this past weekend at my Church and he spoke of the 40 days of Brightness as a time of renewal for us, body and soul.

I feel a sense of this renewal by working on this class.

Ironically, or what appears ironic at the surface, is that I am writing my paper on despair. Actually I am tracing the movement of the characters in Paradise Lost (other than God the Father and Son) in relation to the despair they are in. Acedia - Kathleen Norris started me on the awareness of this years ago with her writings on acedia. Of course now her latest book focuses on the topic exclusively.

Did you know that the Catholic St. Thomas Aquinas used St. John Cassian's writings to explain sloth? I found it very helpful to read that sloth is considered not only to be a form of hatred towards God (by avoiding / hating spiritual good) but also an opposite to joy.

Wow.

This made Fr. Roman Braga's emphasis on joy more real and understandable. Of course if we think of St. Seraphim of Sarov, and how he called those he met, 'his joy' and how he lived the reality of Pascha year round, the world suddenly is full of brightness.

Joys, Sorrows and a Kitchen Table

In a week my very good friend - who is like an older sister to me - will be married! I fly to Halifax for the wedding this coming Friday morning. I am almost totally ready for this and am excited.

At the same time, this month marks the 10 year anniversary of the death of a woman who truly was and is my spiritual mother, though she was not Orthodox. I hope to be having a panihida for her at church before the end of this month. I learned about prayers for the dead within a year of her death and I still miss her very much. I was only 21 when she died, which now I see as very young to lose one's spiritual mother. How grateful I was, however, to have her in my life right when I needed her. In a real way, you could say that God used her to rescue me from spiritually destroying myself when I was young, hurting and confused. When she died I felt that my Mother had died. (FYI I have a very good biological mother; it is just in life one can also have a spiritual mother as well). So I miss her and cannot tell you how important it is to me to be Orthodox and be able to pray for her still. Truly, somehow, to pray for and with her, in church.

And so life is full of joys and sorrows.

On a lighter note, I am researching dinning room sets - I am hoping to find a well made dining room table and China cabinet. I am dreaming of a brown oak.

I talked with my spiritual father today after our after liturgy meal and my heart was filled with joy.

When my spiritual mother died, I did not think it was possible to be given a new spiritual home. I am so thankful for my church and my spiritual father.

In all things I know I must say, Glory to You, O God! Glory to You!

Post mainly on God as the source of Joy, of Love

This sinus cold I have just does not want to let go! I am taking the day off today to rest and try to get past it. When I do anything I tend to do it well and so this cold seems to have quite the grip, particularly on the breathing/exhaustion factor.

As I really want to go to Church this weekend (including tomorrow for presanctified liturgy) I really want to have more energy. Lord have mercy.

Other thoughts.

I read a blog post from a former classmate of mine about evil things going on in Korea. I pointed out that Satan is the destroyer. I have been thinking of this since a talk I heard by the holy hermit priest-monk who visits my church from time to time. The devil seeks to destroy. I can see this more now and understand the creation story better/in a new light.

Adam and Eve had paradise with God; Satan tempted them so that their paradise would be destroyed.

I can see a little more how God is the source of JOY, of all creative good.

I can also see Western culture continuing a fast decline - in many areas - not just the arts - but in basic dignity and goodness. Watching a video of people "making out" is seen not as gross but as something worth watching. I was relieved that at least one other person at the table, when this video was mentioned, said "gross" right away.

Humans are made with Joy, in the image of God. Seeing humans misuse each other and the consumerist approach to other humans (i.e. that video) demeans and denigrates what is holy.

We are truly in a battle for our souls and for our nation's souls. I feel like we have all been sleeping so long and we need to wake up. I need to wake up.

The Orthodox church prepares people for battle; the Church does not hide the Saints and the suffering they went through. The Christian Church has had more martyrs this century than in all before. Many of these in Orthodox countries; many monks, nuns, priests... other Christians as well.

I was greatly impressed by Fr. Roman Braga's book and feel the need to seek to learn the spiritual disciplines taught within the Church.

Last thought: my spiritual sister astounded me with this fact: Christianity's foundation (i.e. how we are to live) is the Beatitudes.